I am so excited to be bringing you this post today. I never fancied myself to be big on handmade items, until after I had children. Now, I’m all about handmade clothing, toys, and goodies for them. I always order from small businesses when it comes to custom toys, cute clothing, party decor, and things like that. Here are some of the best places to find handmade items for kids.

best places to find handmade items for kidsEach of these powerhouse women run their own businesses, not to mention they do so much more! Here is a little bit about their shops and what you can find there.

Best Places to Find Handmade Items for Kids

Lisa from Tiny Little Hearts Shop

I have known Lisa for a few years now, and have always been in love with her bold and amazing writing. Now, she is creating beautiful toys for children. My daughter received one of her ballerina fox dolls for her birthday and is absolutely obsessed with it.

Muriel the Fox1. How did your shop get started?

As a little girl I started making dolls, hand sewing each one. I loved designing the dolls and seeing them come to life before my eyes. As I grew older I stopped sewing and kept reading and writing. I wrote and published for over a decade before I started dabbling in other creative arts more seriously. I began painting (acrylic and watercolor) before I got my first sewing machine. When I first got my sewing machine, I had been wanting to make a quilt and a few softies for family friends. I designed my first stuffed owl doll to give away and then began designing stuffed fox dolls because I’m in love with woodland creatures. I love fairy tales and books like Alice in Wonderland, too, so these dolls (and the stories I sometimes tell on Instagram) are kind of just an extension of who I am as a creative person. As a writer I’m drawn to the handmade process because it’s so similar to writing a story. Like telling a story, the creativity starts first in your head and then extends to something physical. When I make my dolls, I draw my own patterns and then sew and sew and sew until things look as I imagined them to look. It’s the same with storytelling: I start with an idea and then work with it until it looks like the final product I’d envisioned. In all of this, I’m keeping the little doll designer (and writer) in me alive. I hope my creations inspire little boys and girls to imagine, dream and be filled with wonder. And maybe even to be toy makers when they grow up.

2 . What is your favorite thing to make/ favorite thing you have made?

I think I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Muriel the Fox. She was my first creation and I really listened to my creative instincts when designing her. Fabric choices are always a challenge; sometimes you come up with an idea you think would be perfect but the reality is, you still have to source your fabric and your dream fabrics might not actually exist. Muriel’s colors were born out of that. What I originally had in mind didn’t work, so I spent hours finding the perfect colors and styles to make her pop. Muriel was also the first doll we sent internationally. She traveled to Canada and has had a lot of great adventures there.

3. The best part of hand making items for kids?

The best part of hand making my dolls for kids is really just seeing the look on their faces (usually through social media or online reviews). I love when parents send me anecdotes about their kids asking for their Aspen doll when they first wake up in the morning and that kind of thing. It makes it all worthwhile.

Lisa

Tiny Little Hearts Shop

Tiny Little Hearts on Facebook

Alyssa from Fab Flares by Audrey’s Mom

I have been friends with Alyssa for many years now, and have watched her grow from creating to little girls hair bows, to wine glasses for mamas, to these amazing personalized items. I absolutely love seeing her shop expand!

alyssas shop1. How did your shop get started?
After playing with my Silhouette CURIO machine, I began making personalized cups for family and friends. My daughter fell so in love with the idea of having her own “coffee cup”. I began personalizing everything I could. People were seeing the photos and asking how they could order one. I knew I had a hit.
2. What is your favorite thing to make/ favorite thing you have made?
 I LOVE being crafty. It’s a great way for me to relax. I have always been a hands-on person. Every time I build or create something new, it becomes my new favorite thing. I’m secretly creating a dry erase board with princess silhouettes under the glass for my daughter to use in my office.
3. The best part of hand making items for kids?
 Kids love to have something they can call their own. It’s even better when it says their name. I LOVED writing my name in fun styles when I was a kid. I would mark everything with my name. As I learn new tricks with my machine I notice how many amazing learning toys I can create for kids. As Audrey learns her alphabet and numbers, I am designing new things to help her progress. Being a former teacher and a mom, I naturally want to mold young minds in the most enjoyable way possible to them.
Alyssa

Aaronica from The Crunchy Mommy store

I have known Aaronica through blogging and I am so thankful to have met such a wonderful lady. She has so much passion for what she does, not only in her writing, but in her creations for little ones. She is making an outfit for the twins’ birthday, which I cannot wait to show you all!

harem pants1. How did you/your shop get started?
My shop got started after people would consistently ask me to make them things and then they would tell me I needed to sell more of them. I’m one of those people who is always genuinely surprised when people love the things that I make. But I started out making a whipped body butter for my daughter’s skin because we have eczema and I didn’t want to use steroid creams. I passed it along to friends who were facing the same issues with their kids and they loved it so I started selling it after my pediatrician told me that I was really on to something. The next thing I listed were baby harem pants after another friend asked me to make her some. She fell in love with them and so did everyone else who saw them!
2. What is your favorite thing to make or your favorite thing you have ever made in the past?
I think the baby harem pants are my favorite. They are sooooooo cute! Whenever I finish a pair I’m always ready to make my daughter some too!
3. The best part of hand making items for kids?
I like the challenge of making them things that are both trendy and don’t make them look older. My own kids are my muse and when they refuse to take something off or wear something that I’ve made for them with pride it really makes me feel good!
*Cheers to supporting our hardworking female friends and getting great stuff for our kids*
joanna at motherhood and merlot